“You forgot to say ‘Uno’!” Lang Giang cheerfully exclaims before covering her mouth in laughter. It’s the twelfth time she’s caught me this trip and blocked me from winning. By this point in our trek, day four of six, Giang feels more like a friend than my tour guide through Sapa.

Once the sun slips beneath the shimmering waves slathering the sky with soft pinks, reds and oranges, the green lamps of the squid boats strung across the horizon blink on and resemble a series of ellipses as if the ocean is trying to articulate the unsayable.

As the planet-wide dumpster fire that was 2018 comes to a close, we’d like to take a moment to look back at the year in Hẻm Gems through our first-ever Golden Plastic Stool Awards. These will honor some of our favorite local eateries from the past 12 months across four categories: Best Vietnamese Food, Best Non-Vietnamese Food, Best Ambiance and Best Cafe/Bar. We’ll also take a moment to honor our favorite Hẻm Gems that were shuttered this year.

Firmly established as the international school of choice in Ho Chi Minh City, the British International School is a selective, independent and co-educational day school that provides a diverse international education measured by British standards.

FMP’s Saigon International Mother & Baby Association (SIMBA) hopes you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year—and is delighted to announce that our SIMBA gatherings will be resumed this month!

It's fair to be skeptical of Mexican food in a country like Vietnam. Despite the best efforts of chefs across the country, tacos in Southeast Asia can often wind up being oceans away – both literally and figuratively – from the real thing.

But at Taco Ngon, a tiny stand down one of Da Nang's narrow alleys, owner Elin Lin's creations aren't trying to emulate the real deal, according to Saveur. Instead, the Taiwanese taco shop draws upon several traditional foods from across the globe, harnessing the power of Taiwanese pork and Vietnamese veggies, wasabi coleslaw, Sriracha and a California-style handmade flour tortilla to craft the perfect fusion food.

The story behind Lin's tacos mirrors this mashup of cultures. Two years ago, when Lin moved from Taipei to Da Nang, she hoped to teach Chinese to locals but wound up opening a cafe instead, serving Taiwanese guà bāo, or spiced pork belly in steamed buns. When the cafe business didn't work out, Lin's American boyfriend suggested putting the same guà bāo pork in a taco and the rest is history. These tasty tacos may be far from traditional, but there's no point in comparing the multicultural dish to its original inspiration; better to just sit down, dig in and enjoy.